DOCSLIB.ORG

USS Monitor Design and Construction Collection, Catalog Number MS335

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
USS Monitor Design and Construction Collection, Catalog Number MS335 Guide to the USS Monitor Design and Construction Collection, Catalog Number MS335 The Library at The Mariners' Museum Contact Information: The Library at The Mariners' Museum 100 Museum Drive Newport News, VA 23606 Phone: (757) 591­7782 Fax: (757) 591­7310 Email: [email protected] URL: www.mariner.org/library Processed by: Lisa Wilson, 2005 DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY Repository: The Library at The Mariners' Museum Title: USS Monitor Design and Construction Collection Catalog number: MS335 Accession number: A2004.15 Physical Characteristics: 100 items Language: English Creators: Cornelius S. Bushnell, C.H. Delamater, John A. Griswold, Thomas Harrison, Thomas F. Rowland, William Smith, John F. Winslow, and C.W Whitney. SCOPE AND CONTENT This collection consists of 100 items documenting the political machinations, financing, and construction of the United States Navy ironclad USS Monitor. The majority of the materials are receipts, correspondence, and telegrams addressed to John A. Griswold, from the varied companies and individuals contracted to design and construct the USS Monitor. Among the correspondents are Cornelius S. Bushnell, C.H. Delamater, Thomas F. Rowland, John F. Winslow, William Smith, Thomas Harrison, and C.W. Whitney. The major subcontractors were: Albany Iron Works, Clute Brothers Foundry, Continental Iron Works, Delamater Iron Works, H. Abbott and Sons, Holdane and Company, Niagara Steam Forge, Novelty Iron Works, and Rensselaer Iron Works. The papers were donated in 2004, “In recognition of the spirit and legacy of the Class of 1947, United States Military Academy.” ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION Accession number A2004.15 Accession date 2004 Restrictions Collection is open to all researchers. Publication Rights Copies of any materials may not be reproduced, published, or distributed, in any form without written permission from The Mariners’ Museum. Preferred Citation USS Monitor Design and Construction Collection: MS335 The Library at The Mariners’ Museum, Newport News, Virginia “In recognition of the spirit and legacy of the Class of 1947, United States Military Academy.” Note to Users Due to the fragile and rare nature of the collection, researchers are requested to handle the materials with caution and in accordance with proscribed archival practices. When using these materials, please preserve the original order of the collection. BIOGRAPHICAL/HISTORICAL SKETCH Desperate to break the Federal blockade, Confederate engineers and workers labored throughout the summer of 1861 to convert the Federal frigate USS Merrimac into the ironclad CSS Virginia. Progress of the conversion was reported in Southern newspapers and picked up by the press in the North. As work progressed on the Virginia, it became evident to Secretary of the United States Navy Gideon Welles that if the conversion of the Merrimac were successful, no Federal ship could stop her. The need to offset this threat spurred the Navy Department to create an Ironclad Board. Consisting of navy officers, the Board was charged with seeking and evaluating plans for the construction of ironclad vessels for Federal service. On August 3, 1861, Secretary Welles published an announcement calling for the submission of designs and plans of ironclads to the Navy Ironclad Board. Many designs were presented to the board. This included a proposal by Cornelius Bushnell and Samuel Pook for an ironclad steamer that eventually became the USS Galena. In creating the plans for his steamer, Bushnell sought the advice of renowned engineer John Ericsson. Ericsson showed Bushnell his plans and model of an “impregnable iron battery” designed for Napoleon III of France in 1854. Bushnell was so impressed with Ericsson's radical designs that he presented them to Secretary Welles. Secretary Welles agreed that the design had "extraordinary and valuable features" and that it should be submitted to the Ironclad Board for consideration. Bushnell presented Ericsson's designs to the Board. However, Ericsson’s ironclad designs were rejected as too outlandish for consideration. Undaunted, Bushnell persuaded Ericsson to appear before the Board to defend the design. When the Ironclad Board submitted its final report to Secretary Welles, Ericsson's design was one of three recommended for approval. On October 4, 1861, the Department of the Navy signed a contract with John Ericsson, Cornelius Bushnell, John F. Winslow, and John A. Griswold for the construction of an “iron clad battery”. The contract stipulated that total compensation for the ship would be $275,000 spread over equal payments of $50,000 each based on progress of construction of the ship. From each payment, the Navy Department would retain 25% until the Monitor was proven to be successful in every way or payment would be withheld. According to the contract, construction of the “battery” must be completed within 100 days. To meet the deadline set by the government, Ericsson subcontracted the construction and fabrication of his ironclad to eight foundries. In a particularly ambitious plan, each subcontractor supplied various components of the ship at separate locations, shipping the completed parts to a central location for assembly. John A. Griswold, principal partner in Rensselaer Iron Works and owner of Bessemer steel patents, was selected to oversee the financial management of the project. His associates, John F. Winslow, co­owner of Albany Iron Works, oversaw the procurement of the necessary iron and armor plate for the “Battery” and Thomas Rowland, of the Continental Iron Works at Green Point, New York, was contracted for the final construction of the Monitor. Delamater Iron Works of New York City constructed the engines and boilers, Novelty Iron Works of New York City rolled the iron plates for the turret and oversaw its assembly, and Clute Brothers and Company of Schenectady produced the donkey engine to power the turret. Holdane and Company of New York City, Albany Iron Works of Troy, and H. Abbot and Son of Baltimore rolled additional iron plate for the turret, as well as bars and rivets. The Niagara Steam Forge of Buffalo, New York, furnished two iron port stoppers. As these parts were produced, they were shipped to Continental Iron Works in Green Point, New York, where the hull was laid and the final assembly was performed. The assembly of the Monitor was in itself an amazing engineering feat. Eight foundries, working independently and perhaps with no clear idea of what the final product would look like, successfully produced Ericsson’s Iron Clad Battery. When the ship was launched on January 30, 1861, Ericsson and his associates had missed his one hundred­ day deadline by 18 days, but no one seemed to notice. The United States Navy had its Monitor to check the South's Virginia. SERIES DESCRIPTION The papers are in a single series of correspondence. The material is arranged in ascending chronological order. Series I: Correspondence, 1861­1890. Arranged chronologically, this series is comprised of letters and telegrams from 1861 and 1862 between the individuals and companies involved in the design and construction of the USS Monitor and the USS Galena. Many of the letters include information on the businesses involved in constructing and providing parts and services for the Monitor during the U.S. Civil War. Also included in the collection is the original envelope that housed the collection since 1890. FOLDER LISTING BOX 1: CORRESOPNDENCE Folder 1 Finding Aid Folder 2 Background Information Folder 3 Correspondence, August 1861 August 26, 1861: New Haven, CT. One­page letter from Cornelius S. Bushnell to John Winslow and John Griswold. Bushnell mentions a ship’s drawing (Galena) submitted for Winslow’s and Griswold’s improvement and states that they should go to Washington as soon as possible. In the letter, Bushnell states that he has responded to Commodore Smith and that they were prepared to make a strong argument for their case to the Ironclad Board. [MS335.01.03.01] August 27, 1861: New York Telegram from Cornelius S. Bushnell to John Winslow. Bushnell states that the drawing of the Galena is on the 7AM train from New York by carrier. [MS335.01.03.02] August 28, 1861: New Haven, CT. Telegram, Cornelius S. Bushnell to John Winslow. Bushnell invites Winslow to travel with him on Tuesday evening to Washington, D.C. He states that there is no use in going sooner. [MS335.01.03.03] Folder 4 Correspondence, September 1861 September 21, 1861: New York Telegram, John A. Griswold to John F. Winslow. Griswold asks to meet with Winslow for the trip to Washington, D.C., the next night. [MS335.01.04.01] September 30, 1861: New Haven, CT. One­page letter, Cornelius S. Bushnell to John F. Winslow. Bushnell informs Winslow that Samuel Pook will send a model of the Galena and that Bushnell will meet with him unless he can come down to meet with John Ericsson. [MS335.01.04.02] Folder 5 Correspondence, October 1861 October 2, 1861: Rensselaer Iron Works, Troy, New York One­page letter, John A. Griswold to John F. Winslow. Griswold writes that he can devote a mill; have the mill running within 20 days, with the addition of a furnace; and that he will make a sketch to share with Winslow. [MS335.01.05.01] October 9, 1861: New Haven, Connecticut Telegram, Cornelius S. Bushnell to John Griswold and John Winslow. Bushnell indicates that he and Samuel Pook will be at John Ericsson’s house tomorrow and asks whether they can attend. [MS335.01.05.02] Folder 6 Correspondence, October 1861 October 19, 1861: Green Point, New York One­page letter, Thomas F. Rowland to John A. Griswold. Receipt for $1,000 as first payment on the account “for constructing the Ericsson Battery.” Rowland states that the money will be paid for labor, “thus giving it a good circulation.” [MS335.01.06.01] October 19, 1861: Delamater Iron Works, New York. One­page letter, C. H. Delamater to John A.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Navy Columbia-Class Ballistic Missile Submarine Program
    Navy Columbia (SSBN-826) Class Ballistic Missile Submarine Program: Background and Issues for Congress Updated September 14, 2021 Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov R41129 Navy Columbia (SSBN-826) Class Ballistic Missile Submarine Program Summary The Navy’s Columbia (SSBN-826) class ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) program is a program to design and build a class of 12 new SSBNs to replace the Navy’s current force of 14 aging Ohio-class SSBNs. Since 2013, the Navy has consistently identified the Columbia-class program as the Navy’s top priority program. The Navy procured the first Columbia-class boat in FY2021 and wants to procure the second boat in the class in FY2024. The Navy’s proposed FY2022 budget requests $3,003.0 (i.e., $3.0 billion) in procurement funding for the first Columbia-class boat and $1,644.0 million (i.e., about $1.6 billion) in advance procurement (AP) funding for the second boat, for a combined FY2022 procurement and AP funding request of $4,647.0 million (i.e., about $4.6 billion). The Navy’s FY2022 budget submission estimates the procurement cost of the first Columbia- class boat at $15,030.5 million (i.e., about $15.0 billion) in then-year dollars, including $6,557.6 million (i.e., about $6.60 billion) in costs for plans, meaning (essentially) the detail design/nonrecurring engineering (DD/NRE) costs for the Columbia class. (It is a long-standing Navy budgetary practice to incorporate the DD/NRE costs for a new class of ship into the total procurement cost of the first ship in the class.) Excluding costs for plans, the estimated hands-on construction cost of the first ship is $8,473.0 million (i.e., about $8.5 billion).
    [Show full text]
  • Fuller Article
    A Global Forum for Naval Historical Scholarship International Journal of Naval History December 2005 Volume 4 Number 3 “A portentous spectacle”: The Monitor U.S.S. Miantonomoh Visits England Howard J. Fuller University of Wolverhampton United Kingdom [PICTURE 1/Oscar Parkes painting (Photo# NH 59544)] Can a single man-o’-war make a difference—in peacetime? Perhaps, if it is the right ship at the right place at the right time. A recent BBC series recreating the mid 18th- century Pacific voyages of Captain Cook, successfully demonstrated in this regard that H.M.S. Endeavour certainly made a difference; to the people who sent her around the world, to the people who saw her coming in off the horizon, billowing and bright, and to wider events and developments which those people could only imagine—and which historians ever since have sought to understand.[1] One might also mention the transpolar voyage of the U.S.S. Nautilus, nearly 200 years after Cook; not so much a mission of exploration and oceanography but a historic display of shipboard nuclear power and potential nevertheless; a 19th century dream, or nightmare, come true.[2] Indeed Jules Verne’s Captain Nemo was well aware that his own Nautilus could not just tip but completely topple the surface world’s ‘balance of power’ at sea, with predictable results. As the captive narrator of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea exclaimed: Of course, everyone now knew what the supposed monster had turned out to be….a submarine, far more dangerous than a monstrous whale. …Doubtless, everywhere at sea, this fearful engine of destruction was being pursued.
    [Show full text]
  • AMERICAN YACHTING ;-Rhg?>Y^O
    Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2007 with funding from IVIicrosoft Corporation http://www.archive.org/details/americanyachtingOOsteprich THE AMERICAN SPORTSMAN'S LIBRARY EDITED BY CASPAR WHITNEY AMERICAN YACHTING ;-rhg?>y^o AMERICAN YACHTING BY W. p. STEPHENS Of TH£ UNfVERSITY Of NelD gork THE MACMILLAN COMPANY LONDON: MACMILLAN & CO., Ltd. 1904 All rights reserved Copyright, 1904, By the MACMILLAN COMPANY. Set up, electrotyped, and published April, 1904. Norwood Press Smith Co, J. S. Gushing & Co. — Berwick & Norwood^ Mass.f U.S.A. INTRODUCTION In spite of the utilitarian tendencies of the present age, it is fortunately no longer necessary to argue in behalf of sport; even the busiest of busy Americans have at last learned the neces- sity for a certain amount of relaxation and rec- reation, and that the best way to these lies in the pursuit of some form of outdoor sport. While each has its stanch adherents, who pro- claim its superiority to all others, the sport of yachting can perhaps show as much to its credit as any. As a means to perfect physical development, one great point in all sports, it has the advantage of being followed outdoors in the bracing atmos- phere of the sea; and while it involves severe physical labor and at times actual hardships, it fits its devotees to withstand and enjoy both. In the matter of competition, the salt and savor of all sport, yachting opens a wide and varied field. In cruising there is a constant strife 219316 vi Introduction with the elements, and in racing there is the contest of brain and hand against those of equal adversaries.
    [Show full text]
  • Commonwealth Navies As Seen by the United States Navy, 1910-2010
    Commonwealth Navies as Seen by the United States Navy, 1910-2010 John B. Hattendorf1 Aux États-Unis, les perspectives sur les marines du Commonwealth au cours du siècle passé ont varié, car les Américains ont considéré la question en termes de contextes différents. Au départ, certains officiers clairvoyants de la Marine américaine, tels A.T. Mahan et W.S. Sims, ont vu le potentiel de d’entente et de coopération entre les marines « anglo- saxonnes ». Pendant la même période, les forces navales du Commonwealth ont joué un rôle dans la planification de guerre navale américaine. Avant les années 1930, beaucoup de ces plans ont été vus comme des tests de capacité de la Marine américaine contre une puissance à peu près égale et, donc, sur le plan académique ont illustré le rôle de la puissance navale, mais néanmoins ont révélé des vues intéressantes sur les marines du Commonwealth. Avec l’avènement de la seconde guerre mondiale, les relations navales ont changé de façon spectaculaire, en tant que la Marine américaine a travaillé en étroite collaboration avec les forces britanniques et du Commonwealth pour combattre l’ennemi commun. Cela a continué jusqu’à la période de la guerre froide avec des alliances de défense avec l’OTAN et autres. Cette entente persiste avec l’actuelle « stratégie maritime coopérative pour le 21e siècle » des États-Unis. In 1977, Professor Robin Winks of Yale University famously observed that, “Americans cannot understand their own history without understanding Canadian history. Conversely, Canadians cannot understand
    [Show full text]
  • China's Logistics Capabilities for Expeditionary Operations
    China’s Logistics Capabilities for Expeditionary Operations The modular transfer system between a Type 054A frigate and a COSCO container ship during China’s first military-civil UNREP. Source: “重大突破！民船为海军水面舰艇实施干货补给 [Breakthrough! Civil Ships Implement Dry Cargo Supply for Naval Surface Ships],” Guancha, November 15, 2019 Primary author: Chad Peltier Supporting analysts: Tate Nurkin and Sean O’Connor Disclaimer: This research report was prepared at the request of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission to support its deliberations. Posting of the report to the Commission's website is intended to promote greater public understanding of the issues addressed by the Commission in its ongoing assessment of U.S.-China economic relations and their implications for U.S. security, as mandated by Public Law 106-398 and Public Law 113-291. However, it does not necessarily imply an endorsement by the Commission or any individual Commissioner of the views or conclusions expressed in this commissioned research report. 1 Contents Abbreviations .......................................................................................................................................................... 3 Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................................... 4 Methodology, Scope, and Study Limitations ........................................................................................................ 6 1. China’s Expeditionary Operations
    [Show full text]
  • 2004.12 QAR Lab Report
    Queen Anne's Revenge Conservation Laboratory Report, December 2004 UAB Conservation Laboratory, Greenville Sarah Watkins-Kenny, QAR Project Conservator Eric Nordgren, Project Assistant Conservator Wendy Welsh, QAR Laboratory Manager In 2000, the Discovery Channel filmed the former QAR Project Conservator, Wayne Lusardi, breaking down the large concretion, QAR418.000, nicknamed `Baby Ruth'. It was given this name because with all the ballast stones stuck to the outside it reminded archaeologists of the chocolate bar. Baby Ruth yielded many artifacts: two small cannon, C19 and C21, as well as ceramic sherds, rope, pipe fragments, glass, nails, cannon shot, cask hoops, gunflints and an array of other objects. Not all of the Baby Ruth artifacts have been conserved, however, some can be seen at the North Carolina Maritime Museum (NCMM) and others, including C19 and C21, are heading there this spring. Another similar looking concretion (QAR 509.000) was recovered in 2001 but has remained in storage since. Originally nicknamed the Baby Ruth II, this concretion has been renamed to Baby Bertha (so as not to confuse!). Concretion QAR 509.000 will be our feature concretion for the next couple of months. At the beginning of December we began the process of breaking down this concretion, fortunately this time not under the pressure of video cameras. Before removing anything from the concretion it was well documented with digital photographs, scaled drawings and weighed (800lbs). Once initial documentation was complete, the first step was to mechanically remove the top layer of shells to outline the ballast stones and to clarify where the stones end and concretion (which will contain artifacts) begins.
    [Show full text]
  • Naval Postgraduate School Thesis
    NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA THESIS A STUDY OF THE RUSSIAN ACQUISITION OF THE FRENCH MISTRAL AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT WARSHIPS by Patrick Thomas Baker June 2011 Thesis Advisor: Mikhail Tsypkin Second Reader: Douglas Porch Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE Form Approved OMB No. 0704-0188 Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instruction, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Washington headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202-4302, and to the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (0704-0188) Washington DC 20503. 1. AGENCY USE ONLY (Leave blank) 2. REPORT DATE 3. REPORT TYPE AND DATES COVERED June 2011 Master‘s Thesis 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5. FUNDING NUMBERS A Study of the Russian Acquisition of the French Mistral Amphibious Assault Warships 6. AUTHOR(S) Patrick Thomas Baker 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION Naval Postgraduate School REPORT NUMBER Monterey, CA 93943-5000 9. SPONSORING /MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 10. SPONSORING/MONITORING N/A AGENCY REPORT NUMBER 11. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES The views expressed in this thesis are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense or the U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • General Info Today to Our Upcoming Tour on May 13! N Museum Hours Monday - Saturday: 9 Am to 5 Pm, Sunday: 11 Am to 5 Pm
    Non-profit Org. U.S. Postage Enhance your Membership PAID Yorktown, VA Permit No. 80 100 Museum Drive Newport News, VA 23606 and Park MarinersMuseum.org Upgrade your Membership to a Beacon or Explorer Level! • Receive FREE access to over 80 maritime museums across the country • Attend exclusive President’s Receptions throughout the year -------------------- Boost your Membership to the Explorer Level and go behind-the-scenes with our curators and conservationists! Secure your invitation General Info today to our upcoming tour on May 13! n Museum Hours Monday - Saturday: 9 AM to 5 PM, Sunday: 11 AM to 5 PM. MarinersMuseum.org/Membership Memorial Day to Labor Day: 9 aM - 5 PM daily. For general information, call (757) 596-2222 or (800) 581- SAIL (7245). n Library The Mariners' Museum Library is currently closed to the public. Select archival items are still available online for research and purchase, call (757) 591-7781 for information. n Admission $13.95 for adults, $12.95 for military & senior citizens (65+), $8.95 for children 4–12, free for children 3 and under. 3D movies in the Explorers Theater are $5 for Members, $6 for non-members with admission. n Group Tours Group rates for parties of 10 or more are available by calling (757) 591-7754 or emailing [email protected]. n Education Programming For information on student groups, call (757) 591-7745 or email [email protected]. n Membership Museum Members receive exciting benefits, including free admission and program discounts. Call (757) 591-7715 or email [email protected] for more information.
    [Show full text]
  • LINCOLN and the COPPERHEADS in the CIVIL WAR in January 1863
    SNAKES LURKING IN THE GRASS: LINCOLN AND THE COPPERHEADS IN THE CIVIL WAR In January 1863, Abraham Lincoln was confronted with a threat more dangerous than that of the Confederate Army. The Union Army was visibly struggling toward victory with each passing battle and it seemed as if the war was far from concluding. Lincoln’s problems were not just limited to the battlefield, but the president was also burdened in dealing with intense opposition toward his government on the homefront. The threat was the Copperhead movement: Congressional Democrats were banning together in opposition to the war and proposing immediate peace through negotiations with the Confederacy. The Copperhead challenge came at an uneasy period in Lincoln’s presidency as the American public became more hostile towards the war effort. Numerous setbacks for the Union troops and the hardships of the war at home wore at the patience of many Americans and the President himself. The Copperheads took advantage of the public agitation by attacking Lincoln’s actions and character while deeming his expansion of power as unconstitutional and dangerous. Lincoln’s suspension of habeas corpus and use of martial law agitated this political opposition. The Copperheads were successful in gaining support before the election of 1864 through their attacks on Lincoln’s perceived abuse of civil liberties and expansion of power; however, Lincoln’s ability to lead the nation in troubling times, as well as a turn in the tide of the war, prevented the election of a Copperhead president and exposed the weaknesses of the movement. The supporters of the Copperhead movement were quite varied and diverse.
    [Show full text]
  • The Iron and Steel Shipbuilding Data Set, 1825- 1914: Sources, Coverage, and Coding Decisions
    Florida International University FIU Digital Commons Economics Research Working Paper Series Department of Economics 8-7-2008 The rI on and Steel Shipbuilding Data Set, 1825- 1914: Sources, Coverage, and Coding Decisions Peter Thompson Department of Economics, Florida International University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/economics_wps Recommended Citation Thompson, Peter, "The rI on and Steel Shipbuilding Data Set, 1825- 1914: Sources, Coverage, and Coding Decisions" (2008). Economics Research Working Paper Series. 41. https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/economics_wps/41 This work is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Economics at FIU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Economics Research Working Paper Series by an authorized administrator of FIU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Iron and Steel Shipbuilding Data Set, 1825- 1914: Sources, Coverage, and Coding Decisions Peter Thompson Florida International University Revised: August 2008 This article is a supporting document to my paper “Selection and Firm Survival. Evidence from the Shipbuilding Industry, 1825-1914”, Review of Economics and Statistics, 87(1):26-36, February 2005. The article provides a basic description of data sources, coverage and limitations, along with coding decisions made for the purposes of statistical analysis. The data are available at http://www.fiu.edu/~thompsop/data/shipbuilding/shipbuilding.html. * Department of Economics, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199. email: [email protected] 1. Vessel Data Since the 1789 Act to Regulate Shipping (September 1, 1789, 1 Stat. 55), all merchant vessels built in the United States have been required to be registered or enrolled.
    [Show full text]
  • Continental Works Checks, 1860S MS0351
    Guide to the Continental Works Checks, 1860s MS0351 The Mariners' Museum Library at Christopher Newport University Contact Information: The Mariners' Museum Library 100 Museum Drive Newport News, VA 23606 Phone: (757) 591-7782 Fax: (757) 591-7310 Email: [email protected] URL: www.MarinersMuseum.org/library Processed by Jay Moore, 2012 DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY Repository: The Mariners' Museum Library Title: Continental Works Checks Inclusive Dates: 1860s Catalog number: MS0351 Physical Characteristics: 1 sheet of 6 unwritten checks (bank checks) Language: English Creator: Continental Works (Brooklyn, N.Y.) HISTORICAL SKETCH The Continental Works of Greenpoint (now Brooklyn), NY is the successor to Samuel Sneden & Company, which was owned in partnership by Sneden and his talented young engineer Thomas Fitch Rowland. In less than a year after its formation, the partnership was dissolved and Rowland acquired the plant and business. He was a native of Connecticut, born in 1831 at New Haven, and after leaving school had been employed by the New York and New Haven Railroad. Rowland had also practiced engineering and mechanics and had done drafting and designing work. When he became proprietor of the Continental Works, he built the water pipe across High Bridge in New York and did other important iron work. When, in 1861, John Ericsson won the contract from the US Navy to design a floating battery with a revolving turret, an invention that would revolutionize the art of naval warfare and demonstrate the value of armored vessels, he chose Rowland to build it. Monitor, the first such vessel ever completed, was built in the yard of the Continental Works in a little more than three months, and was launched January 30, 1862.
    [Show full text]
  • May 2018 Newsletter
    May 10, 2018 The Civil War: April 12, 1861 - May 9, 1865 “With Cadence & Clarion Call” Bugle, Fife & Drum: ing, and others often humorous. The presentation will The Military Music of Camp & Field conclude with an inspiring DVD presentation of various Join us at 7:15 PM on Thursday, May 10th, at Camden military music ensembles recorded in live performances, County College in the Connector Building, Room 101. showing the rich history of the traditional music, as well as This month’s topic is “With Cadence & Clarion Call” its evolution in today’s military pageantry. The beginnings of American military music essential- ly started when William Diamond, the drummer of the Lexington Militia, beat the call to arms that gathered the Notes from the President... men who fired “the shot heard ’round the world”, launching May brings us flowers, the Sixers in the playoffs, winning the colonists into a long baseball and music. Glad we all survived April, as the struggle for our indepen- changing weather temporarily sidelined some of our mem- dence. The British troops bers. Our Board is updating our membership program and brought with them their the Symposium Committee is planning an awesome event splendid for October 20th. At the Board meeting, Don Wiles was military Harry Jenkins granted Emeritus status joining Mike Cavanaugh. He was bands. very touched by this honor for his years of service to the In con- Round Table including producing our newsletter for the last trast, the Continental 14 years. Enjoyed the World War I article from Mike in the troops were as meager- April issue of our newsletter.
    [Show full text]